inferred
- 1Simple past tense and past participle of infer.
The detective inferred the intruder's route from a trail of muddy footprints.
Readers inferred a deeper meaning behind the author's carefully chosen words.
Note
Notice the doubled r: infer is stressed on its final syllable, so the consonant doubles before -ed, as in referred and preferred. The form also works as an adjective that compares (an inferred motive, a more inferred conclusion). Careful writers keep it for what a listener or reader concludes. Using it where implied belongs, as in a remark that inferred criticism, is widely treated as a mistake.
inferred is a form of infer
infer, verb: To reach a conclusion by reasoning from premises or evidence rather than from a direct statement. Full entry
- Spelling
- infer → inferred: double the r, add -ed
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /d/.
Use it in a sentence
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